The box office success of Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba: Infinity Castle is no longer a surprise. This is the second film in the franchise to achieve such massive success, setting a new standard for anime in theaters. The movie is extremely popular and is now entering its next crucial market: China.
Even before its official release in China, pre-sale revenue for the opening night of Kimetsu no Yaiba: Infinity Castle was forecasted by box office tracker Maoyan to reach 24.7 million CNY (at least $3.47 million USD). The weekend revenue is expected to hit 51.6 million CNY (about $7.26 million USD) and continues to grow. It is believed to have already surpassed the pre-sale opening record of Avengers: Endgame within the first few hours. This anime film is projected to earn an optimistic $150 to $200 million USD during its opening weekend.
Infinity Castle Aims for $1 Billion with China Market Boost
With the projected earnings for Infinity Castle, there are many reasons to believe the film will surpass $1 billion globally by the end of its theatrical run. China is a crucial market for this box office domination goal. A $200 million opening weekend would be a huge boost, even if revenue tends to decline in the following weeks.
However, it is important to temper expectations. Avengers: Endgame entered the box office race with much more hype and preparation, selling one million tickets within the first six hours. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is the most exciting international release in China since the Marvel blockbuster, but it remains uncertain if it will achieve similar long-term success.
Generally, anime films tend to perform best on their opening night in China but have less hope for sustained box office revenue. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle will premiere in China on November 14, 2025, and still has a week to increase its pre-sale revenue from $7.25 million to match Avengers: Endgame’s record $26.8 million. This is an achievable target but remains a significant challenge.
Surpassing All Previous Anime Records
Infinity Castle doesn’t need to beat Avengers: Endgame to be a massive success. The highest-grossing Japanese anime film previously in China was Suzume, directed by Makoto Shinkai, with an opening weekend total of $49.9 million and an overall gross of about $114 million. Infinity Castle is expected to easily surpass both the pre-sale and total revenue records.
To put Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’s success in perspective, Suzume’s director Makoto Shinkai shared that the film’s pre-sales reached $2.46 million five days before release, while Infinity Castle surpassed that figure eight days ahead of its premiere. Suzume held the highest pre-sale total for an anime film with $17.1 million before its official release.
Therefore, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is on track to surpass the highest pre-sale revenue and ticket sales for an anime film, as long as it maintains its growth momentum. However, predicting a $200 million opening weekend, let alone matching Avengers: Endgame’s massive five-day opening of $331 million, remains a very ambitious goal.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has already earned the title of the highest-grossing animated film worldwide, breaking the previous record held by its own franchise’s Demon Slayer, The Movie: Mugen Train. Notably, Mugen Train never had the chance to release in China. While the franchise is certainly growing in popularity, animated films generally struggle to sustain long-term success in the Chinese market.